Jeremy O. Harris Tells Story of When Adele Attended His Play, Then Left Before It Started
Tony Award-nominated playwright Jeremy O. Harris is opening up about the time when Adele showed up to see a performance of his play Daddy… and then left before the show began.
The 32-year-old playwright and screenwriter took to Twitter this weekend to share the story while he was listening to Adele‘s new song “Easy On Me.”
“STORYTIME: I need y’all to know as we continue to stream #EasyOnMe that the week of Adele and JLaw’s infamous gay clurb Hen weekend I got a call from my agent to tell me that Adele needed 6 tickets THAT NIGHT to see a performance of my play Daddy: a melodrama,” Jeremy began his 14-tweet thread.
The 2019 off-Broadway production of Daddy featured Alan Cumming and a swimming pool was part of the stage design, which was part of the reason why Adele decided to leave.
Click inside to read the whole story…
Adele was turned off by the smell of the swimming pool and said she wasn’t feeling well. When she found out the play’s run time was two hours and 45 minutes, she decided to leave before the play even began.
One of Jeremy‘s other high-profile plays is coming back to Broadway this fall.
Read the full story in the tweet thread below!
STORYTIME:
I need y’all to know as we continue to stream #EasyOnMe that the week of Adele and JLaw’s infamous gay clurb Hen weekend I got a call from my agent to tell me that Adele needed 6 tickets THAT NIGHT to see a performance of my play “Daddy”: a melodrama. pic.twitter.com/XAs43R9grq
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
As an avowed Adele Stan I knew a lot about her…her time at Brit School, her love of silly British comedies, etc.
WHAT I DID NOT KNOW WAS THAT SHE WAS A FAN OF OFF-BROADWAY QUEER THEATRE!!!
I told my agent to OBVI and TO CALL the theatre to ask how many free seats we had. pic.twitter.com/H01tyHa4CQ
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
That’s when we got news that would’ve been amazing on any other night.
WE WERE SOLD OUT!!!!
Which is weird bc I just said ADELE NEEDED SIX SEATS TONIGHT SOOOOOO…CONFUSED WHAT SOLD OUT MEANS IN THAT RESPECT.
I tell them they need to figure something out bc what??? pic.twitter.com/sKb5mSDu9o
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
Ten minutes later they call back…
Everyone who has worked on a play in nyc knows is that no play is actually ever “sold out” till curtain.
And just like i thought they had been holding house seats for a friend of someone who wasn’t even going to come.
We got her the tix. pic.twitter.com/slK0QX6sxk
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
Meanwhile Danya and I freak out. At this point we are still green theatremakers who’ve had some brushes with the kind of dream celeb shout outs in support of the work that can be life changing, but ADELE IS ADELE and this was huge.
Our biggest question was do we tell the cast? pic.twitter.com/vDx5J1Eu4l
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
Before We could decide… @harinef texted and said “WAIT IS ADELE COMING TONIGHT?”
on this show @harinef & @Alancumming in equal measure always knew the tea before it was ever spilled.
We said, “yes”. Then it was leaked. And every actor got backstage 4hrs before curtain. pic.twitter.com/lHDq5kQJOc
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
To be fair so did Danya and I but rust was also because Adele’s security had to come and check the entire theatre for the best entrances and exits.
This is when I found out about @SignatureTheatr’s celeb exit/entrance. A major find. pic.twitter.com/sJScTwVoaN
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
30 minutes before the show begins everyone starts freaking out bc word comes up via a walkie that Adele had landed at the theatre !!! pic.twitter.com/5XuCSfHONK
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
Danya and I decide to play it cool. Receiving lil snippets of info from a v sweet usher:
“She just walked in”
“She’s sitting in the middle she seems happy”
“Her security just got her a bottle of water”
“She realizes she doesn’t have a program.”
“Wait…she’s…she’s leaving!” pic.twitter.com/czcKCnCltt— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
That’s right…
She left. 10 minutes before the show started!!!
Danya and I ran out to see what had happened
The usher was apoplectic: “she she asked what that smell was…and I said the pool it’s real…and she said I’m not feeling well but k. Then she asked how long it was…” pic.twitter.com/zRKibgFnqS
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
So I should say that when I wrote “Daddy” i wanted to be true to 19tj century melodramas as much as possible…including the run time.
It was 2h45 w 2 intermissions.
I could see why someone hungover and interested to see a play might not be down but …she missed all the fun. pic.twitter.com/u2b7z1gmWW
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
I emailed her ppl to see if she wanted to come the next day but she was leaving for Europe!
We were all shook.
I sat down in one of her 6 seats and watched the show and laughed then cried as always.
I also vowed I would get ADELE to a play of mine. And become her friend. pic.twitter.com/wXUSmy1uOP
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
So this is where YALL COME IN. I need to get @Adele to notice this and remember this so I can give her an invite to @SlavePlayBway and also “Daddy” at the Almeida. So RT, like and comment. Tag Adele and tell her she owes me!!!
Adele you wanna see a play or don’t you??? pic.twitter.com/1vFtMfvdRx
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021
Also I’m better at adapting twitter thread storytimes than writing them but I hope it was cute even if I’ll never be @_zolarmoon.
ALSO STREAM @ZolaMovie
— Variety Screenwriter To Watch Jeremy O. Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 16, 2021